Whips, Lances and Golden Rings
by Lulu-ichigo
Summary: To avoid further complications with a rival family, Dino agrees to enter in an arranged marriage. Will he be able to stand a wife that just got released from Vendicare? 7: "Love fails, only when we fail to love." - J. Franklin
1. I:Bad Start

A/N: 'kay… I hope you won't hate me for writing this. I wrote this out of frustration; I had some problems on my internet connection so I couldn't update on my CG story last saturday. This is just some random story, so if you don't like it, please feel free to throw a pineapple at me in the reviews. XD thank you.

Disclaimer: I only own dear Elena.

XXX

"Dino Cavallone?"

The blond turned his head to look who spoke.

"Good afternoon," she said, her English heavy with Sicilian accent. "Can I speak with you for just a moment?"

"…" he stared in to her greenish brown eyes, lost in them.

"Cavallone?" she repeated, "Is it not a good time…?"

"No," Dino blinked, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "I was just… lost in thought for a moment. I apologize." He tried to smile warmly, although he felt his smile was stiff.

The girl smiled back. "Someone from the Luchesse family has been admiring you for a very, very long time now," she said cheerily, her raven black locks swaying in the mild breeze.

_Which family are you from?_ Dino thought to himself, noting closely how beautiful she was, and not paying attention to what she was saying.

"Senior, I believe she's madly and deeply –"

"Elena!" a girl shouted, running toward the girl with greenish brown eyes.

"Oh, there she is." she stepped back, smiling mischievously. "I just told Dino that you're in love with him, Michaela!" she shouted in their mother tongue.

The girl Elena called Michaela gasped and within a second her cheeks were red. "How could you!" she answered in Italian and chased her. Elena laughed and ran away.

"Elena." Dino murmured and followed the two girls with his eyes. He commits her face to his memory as he felt his heart skip a beat.

XXX

"EH?" the young Vongola staggered back, eyes wide. "D-Dino-san is…Y-You're…"

The blond Cavallone laughed. "Why? Aren't you happy for me, little brother?"

"Well…It's a little…sudden." Tsuna blushed and looked down.

"So the time has come, huh? You're finally in that stage of life." Reborn smirked, and then sipped from his espresso. "Congratulations, my student. And tell that unlucky girl that she has made a very big mistake when she agreed to marry you. You're still useless without your subordinates, after all."

"Can't you at least stop teasing me, for the sake of the occasion?" Dino asked, hoping.

"No." Reborn took another sip like he could care less.

The Cavallone laughed. "I figured so."

"_He's still heartless as ever!"_ Tsuna thought and cleared his throat. "I never knew you had a girlfriend, Dino-san."

"The thing is… I don't have one."

"What?" Tsuna blinked. "Then how…"

"I see. It's _that_ kind of marriage." Reborn looked at his student.

"I'm afraid so." Dino replied and then smiled.

"What?" Tsuna looked pretty much confused. "What do you mean by that, Reborn?"

"From what family did she come from?" Reborn ignored Tsuna's question and inquired further.

"Zaffiro. Isabelle Elena Zaffiro." Dino answered with a grin.

"She got released just yesterday, hasn't she? I'm surprised you agreed to marry her in the first place." The arcobaleno lifted his cup to his lips once more and took a sip.

"I don't want the violence to continue." The blond reasoned. "And they're practically offering me their princess, so…"

"You're just being lustful." Reborn teased and put down his cup.

With this Dino's cheeks became flushed. "I _am_ not!"

"_I'm completely being ignored."_ Tsuna thought to himself and sighed.

"Anyway, I can't stay too long," the blond stood up. "I have to return to Italy today. Make sure you bring your whole family in my wedding, including Kyoya, of course. Ok Tsuna?"

"Hi-Hibari-san?" the tenth of Vongola turned pale.

"It's an obligation," Dino chuckled. "See you then!" he jumped off Tsuna's window.

"W-Wait!" Tsuna looked at him through the window, but he just caught a glimpse of him as the Cavallone's limousines sped away. "Gone already… Hey Reborn? What do you mean by the thing you said earlier?"

"Hmm… Who knows?" Reborn sat back and placed his cup neatly on his little table.

XXX

"Boss," Romario called out, voice steady. "She's here."

"She?" Dino raised his eyebrows and stopped signing documents.

"Zaffiro. Nobody is with her. Our men saw her walking toward the gates…"

"What?" the Cavallone's jaws almost dropped.

"Shall I let her in?"

"Of course, of course." Dino arranged the scattered paperwork on his table.

"Are you sure you have to do this?" Romario asked with a cautious voice. "It's clearly a trap."

"We discussed this matter numerous times already, Romario." Dino sighed. "I'm going to be ok."

"Their lust for _our_ blood won't change." He reasoned still.

"You'll never know if we won't try." His boss smiled and sat back.

Romario sighed, defeated. "Don't call for me if she attacks you." He walked to the door and left.

Dino chuckled a bit but as soon as the door closed, he felt a coldness envelop him. It's not impossible for her to attack him now. If she managed to kill a hundred of his men four years ago, she wouldn't hesitate to do it again, or to him. And now that she had a taste of being in Vindice…

"Cavallone."

Her cold voice made hairs on his back and arms stand. He looked at her as she stood there. He caught a glimpse of Romario making his worry face as he opened the door, and then closed it as the expected guest entered the room.

"Elena." Dino called out, his throat suddenly dry. "Welcome."

She didn't even flinch nor react. She looked pale. Her frame now became incredibly thin; her dress appeared too big for her. Her whole face looked like she was sucked out of life and vigour. She no longer exudes a warm and charming aura that made the young Cavallone's heart race wildly.

Vindice made her a completely different person.

"You look surprised." She commented, her voice hoarse.

"I…" he started but he cleared his throat instead. "You've changed."

"Vindice isn't very… pleasant of a place." She walked toward him, stopping when she's about an arm's length from his table.

"…Please sit." He motioned and avoided her eyes.

"Promise me you'll stop the murder." She said plainly and ignored his invitation.

"The fighting has stopped the moment we had an agreement."

"Good." She replied as if relieved. "If someone lays a finger on my men, you _Cavallone_," she glared, staring at him as if planning something grim.

"The Cavallone keeps their promises." Dino assured, "But in return, you…"

"Give me one week to recover. After that, I..." She answers for him and looks away, as if disgusted. "The Zaffiro will bow before you." She turns her back and heads for the door.

"Wait, Elena," Dino stood up and tried to say something, but she already left the room.

~Fin~

A/N: .SUCH. for these kind of stories. Well, we all have our ways to kill boredom anyway. If there are less than five reviews, I won't continue this one. So leave a review if you like it. Thanks!


	2. II:Wedding Day

He looks at himself dressed up in white, all ready for this day.

Romario tells him he's crazy, but also congratulates him. And the rest of his men do the same.

He sighs. Maybe he is crazy after all.

"Ciaossu."

He turns and sees his past tutor, dressed in a different color of suit.

"Reborn." Dino smiled. "Are you here to congratulate me?"

"Perhaps." The arcobaleno smirks and skips to a nearby chair. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." The blond answers, surprised at the question. "I feel great."

Reborn looks up to his former student. "That girl," he started, "She's really bad news, isn't she?"

"I suppose." Dino answers and sighs again. "But I have to do this."

"You're entering dangerous waters," the tutor warned. "It's a risky bet."

"I know." The student replies with a smile. "But I'll win in the end."

Reborn smirks. "Good answer."

XXX

"I can't wait to see the bride!" Kyoko said with a smile as they waited for the ceremony to begin. "Have you seen her, Tsuna-kun?"

"N-no," Tsuna replied and looked worried. "I haven't."

"Hahi?" Haru blinked. "What's wrong Tsuna-san?"

"Nothing." Vongola's Decimo forced a smile. "Nothing at all," his smile faded as he looked at his sworn brother, waiting at the altar for his bride. He was deeply troubled by what Reborn said about that girl; about the murder and most especially about Vindice.

"Don't worry Tenth!" his silver haired storm guardian assured. "The Bronco's goin' to be alright."

"He's strong isn't he? Ahahaha." Yamamoto added and patted Tsuna's back. "Cheer up, Tsuna."

"Sawada!" Ryohei shouted, and a few heads turned to them. "Let's cheer your sworn brother to the EXTREME!"

"Nyahaehaehae!" Lambo jumped out of Kyoko's lap, now awakening from his deep sleep. "Lambo-san's awake!"

"Lambo, quiet!" I-pin scolds with a frown. "We're in wedding!" she speaks with her usual broken Japanese.

"Shut up lawn head!" Gokudera scolds Ryohei. "Could you give the Tenth some respect?"

"What did you say, octopus head?" Ryohei stood up and pointed a finger at him.

"Now, now," Yamamoto stood up as well and tried to pacify the two. "This is not the right time to be fighting."

"She's here, look!" Fuuta said suddenly, which made everyone stop and look.

The doors opened as the bride strutted in the isle, one hand holding a bouquet of irises and lilies, and the other free of anything. She wore a wedding dress that similar to those dresses in the fairytales; everything was made of pure white silk. She didn't wear any make up and she didn't even did anything with her hair; she just let it down like she always did, her soft curls hugging the curves of her body. A small frown grazed her lips as her cool green eyes burned with unmistakable wrath while she looked ahead. Everyone stayed silent as she walked on the red carpet laid just for her.

Dino's men stood immediately and assumed their protective positions in case she does something. The Cavallone's Tenth boss signalled a hand to say it's alright.

Tsuna stood up in alarm as the bride passed. He noticed the animosity in her eyes, and it chilled him to the bone. He swallowed hard.

Noticing the silence, the lone Hibari Kyoya, who has an entire row to himself, smiled at the sight of his tutor's bride. "What trouble have you stuck your nose in to now, herbivore?"

Dino smiled as she arrived at the altar. "I'm glad you came." He offered a hand to escort her.

Elena didn't answer and ignored him.

"Hahi?" Haru blinked at the sight. "Did they have a fight?"

"They have something worse than that." Reborn, who had just arrived, said, leaving the brown headed girl dumbfounded.

XXX

"Congratulations, Dino-san!" the two girls cheered happily which made the Cavallone boss smile.

"Thank you," he replied and scratched the back of his head.

"And…" Haru looked to Dino's right, where Elena stood quietly, observing.

"Ah," Dino looked over his wife, "This is Elena."

"Hahi! Dino-san is so lucky to have such a beautiful wife!" Haru exclaims. "I'm Miura Haru."

"That's true!" Kyoko smiled and bowed to Elena. "I'm Sasagawa Kyoko, nice to meet you, Elena-san."

Elena didn't flinch. Instead, she turned to Tsuna who is quietly watching her.

"Well, Vongola Decimo. Isn't it nice to have two lovely girls to keep you _company_?" she remarked wryly.

Tsuna, who immediately got what she meant, flushed redder than a tomato. "Th-that's –"

"Elena," Dino lightly scolded. "Don't tease my little brother too much."

"Sorry," she replied briefly and turned once more to Tsuna. "I just got so delighted to see the very _unique _boss of the Vongola family. My apologies, Decimo." She reaches out to grab Tsuna's hand and kiss his ring as she kneels, but Gokudera prevents her to do so.

"What do you think you're doing, Zaffiro?" the storm guardian holds her tightly by the wrist.

"Paying my respect to your boss," Elena answered, glancing sharply at him. "Are you that _wary_ of me?" she stands up again. "I'm quite offended."

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna places a hand on his silver haired friend's shoulder, looking at him as if to say it's alright. Gokudera nods and retracts his hand. Tsuna looks at her once more. "I'm sorry, Elena-san."

"You're sorry, eh?" she smirks. "I suppose that's quite understandable." She rises.

"Ciaossu."

She looks down, expecting the greeting. "Hello, Arcobaleno."

"It has been four years, hasn't it?" Reborn raises his fedora to glance at her more clearly. "You've changed."

"Funny, that was also the same comment your dear student had given me." She looks down at the infant. "You haven't changed one bit, Reborn. I could imagine the young Vongola here suffering from the harsh training you give him."

"Hmn." The arcobaleno smirks. "He must become stronger for him to be worthy enough to marry such an excellent lady like you."

"My, my, your flattery never fades does it?" she smiles. "I suggest you stop or I might fall in love with you and commit adultery."

"Hahi!" Haru blinks in surprise. "A-Adultery? E-Elena-san f-falls in love with Reborn-chan?..."

"I won't let you." From no where, the Poison Scorpion appeared.

"A-Aneeki…" poor Gokudera sinks to the ground as his stomach hurt while Tsuna attended to him.

"Well, isn't it the beautiful Bianchi. I see you're still smitten with the Arcobaleno here." Elena grins at her.

"Reborn is mine," Bianchi holds Reborn and hugs him like he was her property. "You're already married."

"So?" Elena raises an eyebrow. "It doesn't mean I can't love another."

"S-so direct…" Tsuna murmurs and sweatdrops.

"Ahahaha…" Dino scratches his head and smiles. "You two are still going at it after all these time…"

"Huh?" Kyoko's eyes widen. "Elena-san, Bianchi-oneesan and Reborn-chan have a history?"

"You could say that," Bianchi answered and hugged the hit man tighter.

"But Haru thought when a woman is married, she will be loyal to her husband forever!" the brunette exclaimed. "Haru will be loyal to Tsuna-san when that time comes…"

"Wh-What are you implying?" Tsuna stumbled backwards.

"Loyal?" Elena repeated and glanced at the Cavallone boss. She thought of something to herself and looked at Haru. "You are right."

"Huh?" Dino, who is surprised by her answer, looked at his wife.

She flashed a smile that cannot be read. "Perhaps."

~Fin~

A/N: leave me some reviews people!


	3. III:Sleeping with the Enemy

A/N: agh, I am indeed bored. So here's chapter three. XD

XXX

"I'm fine alright?" she tells them over the phone, a bit exasperated.

"The guys here are just worried about you," a male voice replies to his boss' words.

"Tell them I'm still alive and will be back to spank them." She teases and chuckles.

The male voice smiles (she can tell) and answers. "Alright. I'll tell them that."

"I'll be sleeping now, so don't call every five minutes again, okay?" she jokes and smiles as well.

"Buona notte, mia signora." [1] The male voice tenderly said.

"Buona notte." She replies, making her face a bit red. She hears him end the call and then she sighs.

Marrying her rival and keeping a secret admiration for her right hand man isn't really what she wanted.

"Elena?" she looks at the frosted glass door of the bathroom she's in and recognizes the Cavallone boss' figure. "I prepared another room for you. I'll ask Romario to escort you there."

She opens the door and glances at him. "You don't have to do that, Cavallone. Aren't we married? I think it's natural for us to sleep in the same room."

Dino looked back at her. "I thought you'd never want to stay in the same room with me."

"That's true. I'd rather sleep in a pig's pen rather than share a bed with you." She frankly snapped, "But if we sleep separately, I wouldn't be able to keep a close look on you. We'll both benefit from it, won't we?"

Dino almost grinned, expecting an answer like that from her. "I suppose."

"Shall we sleep then?" Elena asked and walked to their bed, and sat on the right side, while the blond sat on the opposite side.

"What is _that_ doing here?" she asked, pointing at Dino's bullwhip on the side table.

"I think it's only fair to keep my weapon nearby because you keep yours under the mattress." He pulled a lance under the said location. "Don't you think so, Elena?"

The raven haired vixen grinned. "I should have made a secret compartment when you were taking a shower."

Dino sighed. "I know you hate me. But you don't have to rub it in too much." He places the weapon beside his whip. "If we're going to be like this for the rest of our married lives, we better sleep in separate rooms."

"Alright." She simply answered.

"Alright?" he questioned her brief answer.

"I won't keep any weapons in the room."

Dino raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Yes." She answered.

"Okay." The blond was surprised by his wife's answer, but he still had doubts.

Then, there was an awkward silence after that.

"Are you going to ask me to have _sex_ with you?" she suddenly said, out of the blue.

"Wh-What?" Dino blurts out and flushes as red as blood. "No, of course not! You're too young for that!"

"I'm already eighteen, and I won't say no if you asked."

This made Dino blush even redder. He looked away and scratched the back of his neck. "Then…"

"Pervert." She accuses and turned off the lamp on her side of the bed. "Good night." She lay swiftly on the bed and pulled the sheets over her body.

The Cavallone boss couldn't even speak as he realized he fell for her trap, while the Zaffiro boss barely muffled her laughter.

XXX

'_Elena.'_

"Isabelle Elena Zaffiro," a man said in the shadows as he sat high above, too high that her neck hurts when she tried to look.

"Your sentence has been doubled for your misbehaviour." he declares grimly, making the sixteen year old flinch.

'_Solitary confinement.'_

She hears their pleas like they screamed in her ear, and she feels their pull on her hair and their tugs at her clothes and their scratches on her skin.

"Stop," she pleads and she cries for help. "Father," she gasps but she reminds herself that his father had left her two years ago, and no one can save her.

No, not even her beloved famiglia, not even angels nor God.

"Stop," she repeats and she feels them pull her by the neck and she chokes.

"Please," she chokes in her own voice but a cold breath of something inhuman caresses her cheek.

'_Did you ever hear the pleas of those you killed when they were at the mercy of your hands?'_

Her eyes widen in horror as she heard the voice whisper.

'_No, because you're a cold blooded killer.'_

"No," she whispered back, hurt by the statement.

'_Killer. You abominable killer.'_

"Stop!"

She wakes from her hellish dream and she gasps for air as if she's been deprived from it.

The man beside her shifts from her movement but does not wake.

She sits up and feels the moisture on her cheeks. She wipes them immediately and breathes deeply to calm herself.

This is not the first time she had a dream about the horrors of Vindice.

She wondered if the said prison casts some kind of curse on those they have imprisoned.

XXX

"Buongiorno." She greets as she felt someone approach her.

"…buongiorno." He replies with a sleepy voice and he walks to her. "What are you doing out here? It's cold." He stretches and yawns.

She swings her legs back and forth while sitting on the railing of the balcony. "I'm waiting for the sun to rise."

Dino looks at the dim horizon as it lit up slowly.

"È stato così lungo poiché ho visto in ultimo l'alba di sole." [2] she speaks silently and he listens, a small frown developing on his lips.

The golden orb of light rose at a snail's pace, and they watched it do so with silence.

~Fin~

A/N:

[1] good night, my lady.

[2] It has been so long since I last saw the dawn of the sun(the sunrise).

*sigh* well, I am not gaining enough reviews… and I'm kind of bored (although I wrote this one out of boredom,) with this. .

any way, thank you for reading.


	4. IV:Honeymoon? part I

A/N: okay. I am working on my 'Six makes the Sky' story but I can't put my ideas on words so I thought I should take it easy and I ended up writing a chapter for this. So here you go.

XXX

"Why must we go to Japan again?"

She sighs exasperatedly at his blond husband. She knew better; this Decimo only wanted to see his beloved sworn brother, and the 'honeymoon' is just a cover.

"It's for our honeymoon," he answers ever so joyfully as he ate some custard pudding.

"_This guy really prefers children or something…"_ she thought to herself and rolled her eyes.

"Elena?" he calls her with a voice enough to woo some girls and make them faint, "We're married, yes?"

"Yes," she answers hesitantly. "What about it?"

"Nothing." He smiles to himself. "I just remembered something you said. Do you still remember the time when I confessed my feelings for you?"

She didn't even bat an eyelash. "I rejected you."

He laughed. "Yeah, and you did it harshly. You told me you didn't like pretty boys like me. You told me you'll never like me and that we're rivals and rivals were meant to hate each other. You even called me a pedophile!" he smiles and puts the plate of pudding down. "But you are here with me… with a golden ring on your finger. It kinda makes me feel happy.~"

Her eyebrow twitched. She looked at the wedding ring on her finger. It gleamed as if mocking her, telling her that her famiglia had already fallen. She, the boss who everyone feared for her spit fire attitude now was tied to a leash and calls a certain blond Decimo 'master'. And worse, husband.

"Are you mocking me, _Dino_?" she calls him by his name for the first time, although if voices could cut the blond would be bleeding by now.

"Ha?" he blinked, and almost flinched at her glare. "No, I…"

"Listen to me," she stands up, and stares at him like she was burning holes in his soul. "I didn't ask of any of this to happen. And certainly I do not want to marry you, for that matter. So stop talking as if I said 'I do' to you out of love."

Dino was left speechless after she ended shooting him with her words. He almost froze in shock, but he lowered his eyes as soon as she ended.

"I'm sorry." He said gently, and peered back to her. "I was tactless. I'm sorry."

"Sorry can't take back _anything_." She replies dryly and frowns, looking away. "Stop asking for forgiveness."

"I'm so –" he interrupts himself and starts again, "Alright…"

Then again, they were silent as a grave yard until the jet landed in Japan.

XXX

"Here's your tea, dear." Nana carefully placed the cup on the table, smiling innocently at her. Elena nodded and smiled back, but only just a little. She felt obliged to. "How are you?"

"I…I'm fine," the raven haired boss answered, unsure of what to expect.

"My! I'm so glad you can speak Japanese!" Tsuna's mother gleefully declared and clapped her hands. "I'm terribly sorry I wasn't able to attend the wedding. I got the flu so…"

"It's alright, Sawada-san." She answered and smiled a little wider.

Nana sighs helplessly and looks at her tenderly. "I am so happy Dino-kun married such a beautiful girl like you, dear."

"Thank you." Elena answers, but she isn't really sure about the Cavallone boss being lucky to have married her.

"Are you younger than him?" Nana's amber eyes gleamed with interest.

"Yes. I'm eighteen."

"My! Such a young age to marry. I suppose love can't wait in your case." She giggled in delight. Elena almost shuddered at the thought.

"Mama, I– Waah!"

And then, there was a loud bump heard after those words.

"D-Dino-kun!" Nana rose from her seat and rushed to the fallen Cavallone on the floor. "Are you alright?"

Dino smiled bashfully and rubbed his head. "I'm alright, mama. Elena and I are going now," he stood rather unhurt by his fall from the stairs.

"Take care, Dino-san, Elena-san." Tsuna smiled warmly at the two as he descended the stairs.

"Don't enjoy yourself too much, Dino." Reborn remarked with some underlying meaning which made Dino flush.

"You're going already?" Nana said in a sombre voice. "But you just got here –"

"Maman, let them go. They're married now," Reborn reasoned to Tsuna's mom and then, she sighed.

"Alright." Nana, her voice rather defeated, said.

"We'll be going then," Dino smiled and nodded at them, and headed for the door.

Elena bowed at them. Nana smiled at her.

"Take care," she says warmly, and Elena tried to smile back.

As they got in to the car, Elena held her gaze at the Sawada household.

"They're good people," she murmurs to herself, and now she knew why Dino loved to go and visit them.

"They are," the blond heard her, and he smiled.

"Are we going back to Italy?" she asked him and shifted her gaze to the blond boss.

"Of course not, we're here for our honeymoon, aren't we?" he gleefully says, making Elena narrow her eyes.

"Where are we going then?" she inquires.

"Shinkansen." Dino replied.

"The bullet train?" she blinks. "What are we going to do there?"

"We'll ride a train of course." He tells her in a matter-of-factly way.

Her eyebrow twitched. "Of course we are," she sighs, exasperated. "But why the train? We can travel there; to wherever you wanna go by car."

"I want to experience being alone here in Japan. I mean, without all my men scrambling and –"

"What did you _say_?" her expression screamed out only one thing.

"I want to be alone with you, without my men…?" he trailed off and blinked.

No. _Oh God no_. Not that. She'll be happy to give him anything but not that.

"Dino," she yanks him by his shirt, "I am _not_ taking care of you when you fall off of something, do you understand?"

"O-Okay, okay…" he throws his hands up in submission and nods.

She releases him and turns away, cursing herself for not seeing this scenario.

This is going to be one hell of a ride.

~Fin~

A/N: I don't know, but somehow I feel really awful because my plot for this story sucks. *sigh* but thank you to those who reviewed and read this little story of mine.


	5. Honeymoon? part II

A/N: hey there! Here's chappie five. I was troubled because I don't know where the hell Namimori is located, thus I don't know what station I should use as a setting. But I realized I shouldn't take it too seriously, so here you go. Hope you guys like it.

XXX

And so, they arrived at the station. Finally.

"We'll be going then, Romario." Dino happily bid his good bye to his right hand man, but Romario did otherwise.

"I think I should come…" Romario looked at his boss with worry.

"I think so too." Elena quickly said, looking at Dino and nodding. "You definitely and absolutely will need him. Right, Romario?"

"But… I really wanna spend some time with you, you know, just the two of us?" the blond frowned and turned to his right hand man. "But if you think that way, then –"

"It's alright, boss. I won't come." Romario cut him off, and adjusted his glasses.

The word _'what the f*ck – you basta –' _spelled on Elena's face as she looked at Romario. _'I thought we talked about this.'_ She narrowed her eyes at him.

Romario, who completely understood what she wanted to convey, smiled apologetically. _'I'm sorry, miss Elena. My boss' wish comes first.'_

Elena turned quickly away and muttered curses and dragged her luggage with her. "Fine."

"Thanks, Romario!" Dino beamed cheerfully and followed his wife. "See you in a week!" he waved at him and happily walked with Elena.

Romario waved back and watched the two fade in to the station. Of course, he won't leave his boss with _her_ all alone.

XXX

"Where are we going again?" a scowl was plastered on to her face as she eyed the blond as they walked side by side in the station.

"Fukuoka." He replied and held up their tickets happily.

"Oh." She sighed. She could see this trip falling miserably –

"Waah!" (he trips on his own and lands face down)

– like how Dino falls ever so gracefully due to his clumsiness. Yes, just like what happened just now before Elena could even finish her thoughts.

"Ahaha…" He pushed himself up and scratched his head. "I'm completely fine…"

The raven haired girl rolled her eyes. And to think they haven't even boarded the train yet made her want to scream and flee. "Get up, you idiot." She can feel the stares people were giving them and decide to ignore it.

Dino stood up and picked their bags. "Shall we go then?"

But as soon as they stepped in to the train he almost destroyed his face as he slammed to the train's floor as he tripped once again, and almost lost his foot as he almost got caught by the closing door.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you?" Elena knitted her eyebrows as she held him by his jacket (because she was the one who pulled him out of the damn door's way as it closed).

"I'm sorry," he smiled shyly and scratched his head once again.

"You…" She groaned, stood up and dragged all of their baggage and walked on. "Nevermind."

"Elena?" he called out to his wife and soon followed.

"Waah!" (bump)

"Kyaa!"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to –" (stumble)

"Hey, watch it, man!"

"Sorry!" (steps on something)

"What the hell!"

"I'm really sorry! Wah!" (crash)

'_Maybe this'll all go away if I ignore him.'_ She murmured to herself. _'Okay, Elena. Don't look back. Just keep going, and wish that he doesn't call out your –'_

"Elena…?"

'–_name.'_ she sighed and turned to look at the chaos her dear husband had caused.

People stared back at her as if saying, _'Well? Do something!'_

She smiled stiffly and scratched her head.

XXX

And again, they were silent as a graveyard as the train moved.

"I'm sorry –"

"Don't _start_." She snaps and he obeys.

(one…two…three…four…)

"Do you want to go back to Italy?"

"…"

(…five…six…seven…eight…)

"Are you hungry?"

"…"

(NINE, TEN, ELEVEN, TWELVE)

"Elena?"

"…"

(...)

"Are you angry?"

"Shut _up_!" she retorts and breathes quickly, unable to restrain her irritation. "What do you _think_ I feel, huh! You turned almost all of the people here against us!"

"I didn't mean to –"

"I know!" she almost screamed in to his ear. "That's why it's all the more frustrating!"

The blond frowned. "I'm sorry."

"I told you not to say that, you clumsy bastard."

"…Maybe we should go back to Italy…"

"Maybe you should have thought of that _ages_ ago."

Dino pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number.

Elena looked at him and saw his disappointed expression.

"Hello, Romario? I –"

He couldn't say anything more as the phone was snatched out of his hands.

"Huh?" he looked at her, confused.

She turned it off and put in her pocket. "You wanted to travel without them, right? Here's your chance."

Dino's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't want to go home?"

"I didn't say that." She retorted. "But we're already here, so…"

His expression changed from pitiful to exuberant in seconds, almost making Elena gape in awe.

"Do you forgive me?"

"What?" she blurted out.

"Thank you." He smiles warmly like he always does.

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

He chuckles. Her heart rate doubled.

"Don't assume things on your own!" she snaps helplessly and Dino just smiled at her. "Hey, don't ignore me!"

"I'm not ignoring you," he tells her sweetly and brushes her hair away from her face.

"Don't touch me!" she slaps his hand away and turns to the window. She could feel his eyes stare at her kindly and she hated that.

"Thank you."

She felt an arm wrap around her and a hand leading her head to lean on him.

"What – hey, stop this or I'll –"

"Thank you, Elena."

She felt his breath tickle her skin as he whispered and she froze in terror at the closeness they shared.

He planted a kiss on her head and a bolt of adrenaline shot her.

She wondered why he was treating her so nicely even though she murdered his beloved men.

~Fin~

A/N: alright. Pretty short huh? Sorry 'bout that. I'm a bit lazy to write. and the counting elena was doing is a method to ease out anger. XD So tell me if I sucked or something. Include a cookie or two. Or a pizza. Okay I'm just being random. Thank you for reading! *bows like gokudera*


	6. Honeymoon? part III

A/N: heyy, here's chappie sixth. Sorry if I update too slow… I'm a lazy writer so it's alright if you're disappointed with me. Anyway, please read on and enjoy. ^^

XXX

This was like those times when they shared that awkward silence.

Okay, not really, because this time it was just her that stayed silent.

"And we're here!" the blond cheered like a child and stretched. They have finally arrived at their destination. "Are you hungry?"

She looked at his brown eyes. He stared back.

"Elena?"

"Don't stare at me."

"You stared at me first."

"Shut up."

"Why are you so grumpy all of a sudden?"

"Hmph." She pulled her luggage and walked away.

"Hey," Dino followed, but as soon as he took a step forward, he tripped.

Elena stopped and looked at him. The Cavallone boss looked back at her.

"Don't expect me to help you," she shot with a glare and walked on.

Dino sighed. He thought maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

XXX

"Itadakimasu!"

She stared at him indifferently as he took an epic bite.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asks.

How can one be hungry when the person eating with you is making such a mess?

"This is not happening." She murmurs and face palmed.

"What is?" he honestly inquires.

"You do realize _we_ are the central attraction here, don't you?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he blurts out.

"Of course, you don't realize. Of course…" she rolled her eyes and her eyebrow twitched. "Because you are just one cute blond blob of a mess." She ignores the stares and the attention people were giving to them.

Dino blinked. "You think I'm cute –"

"NO." she shot back, and took a napkin. "You're just one hell of an idiot, that's all. And the rest of the female population mistakes it as cuteness." she wipes the dripping sauce on his lips. "Seriously. Why are you such a failure? Aren't I part of your family now? Doesn't that mean you should –"

Elena stopped in her dialogue when she saw the Cavallone don smiling at her once again.

"Why are you smiling?" she narrowed her eyes.

"You're so beautiful when you're pissed off."

And within a heart beat, the napkin Elena was holding got thrown at his face.

"_Screw you._" She hissed in their mother tongue and prepared to leave.

Dino chuckled a bit, but suppressed it well enough to produce a coherent sentence. "Wait, Elena, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tease you –"

"Shut up, _Cavallone_." He knew when she called him that way, she was mad.

"Elena," he reached out to grab her hand. "Sit. Please."

"Why should I –"

"Please," he lightly pulled her down to sit, but she resisted. "Is there something wrong about what I said? I just told my wife that she's beautiful."

"You were making fun of me."

"I was teasing," he admitted and smiled. "I'm just doing this because you're so cold to me."

She sat again, finally. "I don't like to hear those kinds of words from you."

With this, the blond stopped, clearly affected by the statement. "Do you prefer them to be said by someone else in particular?"

This caught her off guard; it made her stare directly in to his hazel eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" she asks.

Dino blinked and cleared his throat. "Nothing. Never mind." He brushed off the crumbs of food scattered on his shirt and took out his wallet.

"Dino –"

"Let's go," he ignored her words and left some crumpled money on the table, grabbed their bags and walked away.

The scene would have been perfectly dramatic if he didn't trip on his own feet. _Again_.

Elena face palmed (again). For one second she was really going to take this idiot seriously and then he _had_ to break the mood.

She walked toward him and pulled him up. He was beet red as he stood up and avoided her gaze.

And for the first time, Dino Cavallone heard his wife laugh.

XXX

He dragged her to different places and she had no other choice but to follow because if she left him alone, he would be dead by nightfall courtesy of his clumsiness.

A twisted voice in her consciousness whispered things but she dismissed them.

She has _that_ urge but she held back.

"Elena?" he called out, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Are you listening?"

"Yeah." She answers in a monotone voice.

"You're not paying attention," he said but it sounded like a complaint.

"I'm listening." She answers.

"You were opening up to me a while back." He sighed as he looked at her. "But now you're just ignoring me. I can't understand why your mood changes so easily."

She raised her eyebrows. "I did not open up to you."

"You did." He insisted. "You even laughed."

"I laughed because you were funny."

Dino blushed because of embarrassment. "You're making fun of me!"

"Because you _are_ funny."

"You're so mean." He retorted and she frowned.

"Stop acting like a child. You're twenty two."

"Stop acting so mature. You're just eighteen."

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you." She shook her head and sighed.

"Why are you so stubborn?" he asked.

"Oh please, Dino, stop it." she rolled her eyes. "Don't start this again."

"Are you…having your period –"

"No," she retorted and narrowed her eyes at her husband. "And stop making those kinds of assumptions. It sounds… unpleasant."

"Can't you try to open up to me, even just a bit?" he hoped, but she glared at him.

"Why should I do that?"

"Because we're married?" He answered, still hoping.

"Well I'm sure this marriage of ours won't last very long. So before we develop unnecessary feelings for each other, I think we should try to avoid being together and mind our own businesses. Wouldn't you agree?"

"No, I don't agree." He narrowed his eyes and stopped walking but she stared back, unafraid.

"What do you want to do then?"

"I want you to start acting like my wife."

"Why?"

"Because we're married, that's why."

She sighed. He's one stubborn bastard.

"I told you I'll be the ideal wife in front of everybody. I'll do anything you want. But once no one's looking, you and I – we're nothing but the bosses of rival families living under the same roof."

"That doesn't mean I can't have feelings for you. And the same goes for you."

"I'll kill you if you get too comfortable with me."

"Then I'll make _you_ love me."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Elena could sense the confidence in his eyes and it made her blood pump a little faster.

"I'll make you love me." He repeated, smiling. "I'll make sure of that."

"You're so sure of yourself." She said, irked. "Did you get that ridiculous pride from Reborn or something?"

"Maybe." He chuckled. "There's so many things that I've learned from him. More than you could ever know." He shoved his hands in to his pockets. "I'll win you in the end."

She smiled, irritation present on her face. "We'll see."

It was a challenge neither of them can't lose.

XXX

A/N: I hate me! Haha. XD I'm such a lousy writer. Thank you for reading! Please a review! Bye!~


	7. V: First Kiss

A/N: here's the seventh! *sigh* I'm really addicted to manga. It's just too bad that here in my very sunny country manga is hard to come by. And they're quite expensive too! T.T okay, enough with my ranting. Read on and I hope you enjoy!~

To SwordFeather: this is a romance story, so… of course there will be romance between them. ^^

**Note**: Dino's the one talking on the first part, and then Elena is on the last part.

XXX

The first time I saw her I was sixteen and she was four years younger.

I wasn't the bucking bronco and she was so young – I think killing was the last thing she'd ever want to do.

I saw her on a fencing match with a senior and I was amazed by how she defeated him so easily. She earned the admiration of so many powerful sons and daughters of so many families that day; including mine, of course.

Reborn kicked me on the head and told me that even she could defeat me on a slapping match. I was _that_ useless.

She is the only successor of her family; and so was I. She probably was experiencing the same pressure as I was.

But it seemed to me that she was on a very different level. She was different. She was talented; I was not.

I was a little envious. She has got to have some weakness, right? So there started my secret investigation about the little girl named Elena.

After about half a year, I discovered some silly and not so silly things about her.

She was, indeed, scared of heights. I was surprised at that fact; the fear of heights is a very common phobia, and I didn't think such a girl would be afraid of such a trivial thing.

She was allergic to chocolate. Now, that has got to be the _worst_ thing that could happen to someone, right? I could only pity her from afar…

Besides from chocolate, she's also allergic to fur. Yup, that means she cannot have those cute and furry pets every young girl wants.

She _had_ an older brother. Apparently, her brother died from an accident, so when that happened, she became the official successor.

She lost her mother when she was just a baby. Her mom died at childbirth.

The more I know about things I shouldn't know about her, the more I started to think that she's not as perfect as I thought she had been. I realized I cannot judge her from here.

And to think that she and I would hunt for each other's head one day; that we'd become sworn enemies; that frightened me. It's not that I'm scared of her (okay, maybe a little bit,); I just didn't like the idea. It didn't feel right.

"Dino Cavallone?"

I heard her call my name one day it made me nervous.

"Y-Yes?"

She smiles and I try to smile back. "So you're my senior eh? I've heard you're such a klutz."

For a moment I thought I had been shot with an arrow. Is this girl seriously bullying me? "Uh… yeah…"

She laughs. "That's alright. They tell me you're tutored by the great hitman, Reborn. I'm sure you'll become an excellent boss one day."

I raise my eyebrows at her statement. What is she getting at?

"I look forward to the future, Cavallone." She offered a hand and I shook it.

That was the first and last time we talked to each other.

After that year she moved out of the academy. I never saw her since then. The reason for her sudden transfer wasn't clear too. Reborn advised me to stop wanting to know about her business. He told me it might result to something unpleasant.

And so I did what I was told. I stopped gathering information about the girl named Elena.

But one day, she came back.

She still held that confident smile on her face.

I was going to graduate and she was four years my junior.

I could never have recognized her if her friend didn't call her by her name. She had really changed. She had a different aura enveloping her. Nonetheless, she was still cheerful.

Reborn teased me for having a little 'crush' on her (she's just fourteen, what the hell is wrong with me?) but I told (insisted) him it wasn't the romantic type. On the other hand, she developed a huge crush on Reborn (he's just a baby, what the hell is wrong with her?) and I knew I'll never be able to have a girlfriend when he's around.

I thought I had a chance on bending our family's dark history with hers but I was wrong. _Terribly_ _wrong_.

Her father died in an encounter with my family. He was shot down.

Her only blood relative left; her father; was taken away from her by us, the Cavallone.

She stopped attending school and I knew she'll be coming for me.

She _will_ hunt me down.

_And hunt, she did._

It was in the dead of night when Romario woke me up and told me to hurry to an escape vehicle. The manor was under attack.

"It's the Zaffiro," I remember him pulling me hastily. "They're here for revenge."

_For_ _revenge_, I repeated in my head.

For vengeance she threw away her smile.

For vengeance, she killed at the age of fourteen.

For vengeance, she was imprisoned by Vindice.

And I couldn't do anything about it. I was _still_ useless.

"P-Papa…" I hear her call out in her sleep and I knew from the first time I laid on the same bed with her I wouldn't be able to sleep.

She whimpers and it's like sand paper against my ears.

_It's because of me that she's like this._

"… Elena," I whisper and I make her shift toward me. "Wake up."

She breathes unevenly and tears form on her closed eyes.

"Wake up," I shake her shoulder gently, just to break her off from her nightmare.

She resists but after a few tries, she wakes.

"…Dino." She mumbles and I smile weakly.

"You're just dreaming," I wipe off the tears that now fell from her eyes. She tries to focus her eyes on me but I pull her closer and hugged her. "Go back to sleep now."

If she was really awake she should have punched me on the gut but thankfully, she was too drowsy too resist.

She fell back to sleep a little peaceful now, and I didn't.

I think I never will.

XXX

I remember waking up in his arms and I knew my shell had cracked.

Well, just a little bit.

I felt nervous and uncomfortable in his presence. I froze instantly when I realized he was holding me so close; I almost pushed him off in surprise.

Almost.

I calmed myself and tried to pull a hidden blade from a secret compartment I made in my clothes.

I smiled a bit when I took it out.

My heart pumped faster in anticipation.

_Kill him._

My hand trembled in excitement when I positioned it on his throat.

_Slice._

I held my breath and I neared it on his tattooed skin.

_Bleed. Make him bleed._

I pressed the thin metal on his skin and I saw him watching me.

He was watching me the whole time.

He was staring at me with those brown eyes of his and then I couldn't move any further.

_I couldn't kill him._

He held my hand and took the blade away and kissed me.

His lips were so warm and he was so gentle.

_It felt wrong._

I closed my eyes.

I saw my father.

He was dead.

He _is _dead.

It was their fault; _his_ fault that all of this happened.

I opened my eyes.

I didn't kiss him back.

~Fin~

A/N: Please be patient with me. The story will progress starting on the next chapter. XD thank you very much to those who still left a review even if I actually left this one in the dumps for quite some time… and to my new audience, thanks for reading! Please leave me a review and see you in the next chapter! XD


	8. VI: Red

A/N: I can't think of anything for my six makes the sky series… man. Major writer's block is getting to me. Anyway, here's another chappie for you guys. I must say I will be updating very slow, because I am a lazy writer. So if you're fine with it, then that's great. But if not, then… well, I don't really care. XD

So without further interuptions, here's chapter eight.

XXX

_Hibari. Hibari._

He wished he did not hear his name being called so early in the morning.

_Hibari, Hibari!_

He grunts and lazily opens his eyes.

_Midori tanabiku,_

_Namimori no…_

_Daina –_

"Kyoyaaaa! Heeey!"

His eyebrow twitched.

It's either this bastard was messing with him or he was just a complete idiot.

XXX

He sipped some tea.

"I told you, you should practice waking up early." The blond Cavallone told his former pupil.

Hibari Kyoya glanced at his wall clock.

4:45 AM. For the love of God, the sun hasn't even risen yet.

"Is it about the wife?" the dark haired teen grumpily demanded.

"What?"

"Your _wife_." Hibari impatiently repeats. "Is it because of her, herbivore?"

Dino stops and his expression turned pained. "…Do you think I…I'm doing the right thing?"

The tonfa-wielder raised his eyebrow ever so slightly.

"She brought a man with her yesterday. Her right-hand, she told me. I know better. She sounded so happy with him, I… It almost made me think I was being so selfish to her."

"…hmn."

"Do you think I should get a divorce?"

"Do you want her?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you _want_ her."

Dino blinked at his former student's question. "I… Yes."

"Then make her yours. Don't hesitate to use force."

"What?"

"You're too soft. That's why she does those things."

"B-But…it's unfair. If she doesn't really like me then I shouldn't force her to like me… right?"

"If you really want something," Vongola's tenth generation cloud stood up, "then you'll do anything to get what you want. Even if it means stealing."

"But Kyoya," Dino smiled, "Elena isn't a 'thing'. She's –"

Hibari narrowed his eyes at the blond. "That's the reason why you're so _weak_."

And so, the prefect treaded out of his living room, leaving the Cavallone boss speechless.

XXX

"Dino."

His hazel eyes dart up. "What?"

"You're spacing out." Elena tells him as she placed a cup of coffee on his table.

"Sorry." The Cavallone boss smiled. "What is it?"

"I said," the Zaffiro boss sighed, "I'm going to France this Saturday. There are some important things I left off before our marriage and I had to –"

Dino's mind floats away but he hears her words. _She's lying,_ he told himself. He lifted the cup of coffee to his lips and breathed in the aroma.

He took a taste of the brown liquid.

_There's poison in it, _he knew from the very second it hit his tongue. _She's really trying to kill me._

"Elena?"

The raven haired boss stopped. "Yes?"

"Would you like to kill me now?"

Her emerald eyes widened. "Come again?"

"I'll let you try." Dino told her, "Let's have a match."

A sadistic smile crept on to her lips. "Why, I'm surprised at your statement there, dear husband."

"You have better chances on laying the final blow through that than putting some poison into my coffee."

"That's true. But why so sudden?"

"I'm tired of being patient."

She laughed, in a mocking way. "Well, it's about time."

"If I win in this match, you have to _submit_ to me."

She smirked. "Alright. You have my word."

The whole mansion will be the field," the blond stood up and grabbed his bullwhip, "And we can start whenever you're ready."

The eighteen year-old smiled again, now with delight. "Then if you'll excuse me, I'll just get my lances back at our room…"

And so the doors closed behind her.

Kyoya's words echoed in his mind and he wondered if he was doing the right thing.

If he loses, he'll die.

If he wins, she'll lose her remaining pride, and he was sure she won't take it lightly.

The blond took his cell phone and called Romario.

"Hey," Dino started, making him smile regrettably. "Could you please… make everyone evacuate the mansion? Stay on the east house for a while. I'll call you back when _we're_ done."

His right-hand didn't even have the chance to speak when he ended the call.

Elena was standing in front of that closed door, and overheard the whole conversation.

Her hands shivered a bit in excitement and fear.

She will kill him and vengeance shall be served. That's what it's supposed to be.

She remembers the time he was her senior and she was four years younger.

It had been so simple back then.

Sometimes she wished it should have stayed like that forever.

Elena kicked open the door, and Dino was waiting for her.

And Death was watching close by. Death was waiting for them.

XXX

Romario ran faster, almost tripping on the steps.

_They're going to kill each other,_ he reminded himself.

He hoped he's not too late.

He can hear distant sounds of things crashing, breaking and snapping. It sounded more like a burglar wreaking havoc to find a very prized jewel; but he knew better.

It was the sound of two people pouring out all their frustrations and wrath and guilt.

Romario understood that. For a moment he thought of leaving the two alone. But his boss was… Dino was always too soft. He knew he'd never hurt a lady seriously.

That was why he was worried.

XXX

Dino huffed and tried to stop the bleeding on his hip.

_She stabbed him on a bad place._

He actually _felt _her lance hit his pelvic bone; and God it hurt like hell. Ten minutes had already passed and his office was now a complete mess. The paperwork he was working on was reduced in to strips of garbage. His furniture, his books, his lamps, the paintings; everything – it acquired some sort of damage. Even the walls had scratches on them.

Ten minutes had passed and he now had hundreds of cuts on his body: both deep and shallow.

He was bleeding slowly and that made it all the worse.

Elena leaned on a wall, trying to catch her own breath.

She could barely see.

Her face was swollen. The blond bastard had whipped her on the face purposely; it was to limit her vision. He also had whipped some muscles on her feet and legs, causing her to limp. Every inch of her skin felt raw and it stung even if she didn't move. Some turned in to cuts on impact and she remembers how she yelped from the pain.

She was beginning to weaken. She was getting tired. She knew she had to get this over with soon.

"Dino!" she called out. "Come out now dear…" she says in perfect Italian, her Sicilian accent pronounced. "Death's getting impatient…" she walked wobbly, searching for his blood trails. "It's about time you went with him."

The blond Cavallone smiled humourlessly and answered, emerging from a bookshelf. "How about you decide to be an obedient wife, huh?"

"Sorry, I'm the possessive type." She shot back wryly and _tried_ to eye him more clearly.

Dino looked worriedly at her extremely swollen face. Her right eye had now closed and her left was beginning to shut too. "Elena, I think we should stop."

"We can't. You're not dead yet."

"You're struggling to see clearly."

"I can still see."

"Don't be stubborn."

"Shut up." She spat and assumed a position Dino recognized; she was going to charge at him.

"I'm sorry," the blond said, making her scowl.

"I told you to never tell me that word again," she hissed.

"I'm sorry our family took away your father from you." He said sincerely. "I'm sorry, Elena, I –"

"Can your 'sorry' take him back?" she wailed, her voice almost cracking.

"How about those lives you took?" he answered her, his voice slightly rising. "Don't you know how many wives you turned in to widows and how many children you left orphaned?"

She lowers her lance a bit, as she felt a pang of guilt wash over her.

"Don't think you're the only victim."

"I know." She answers bitterly. "I know what I did. That is why I am not asking for your forgiveness. I _cannot_ be forgiven."

"It's been four years, Elena." Dino said, his words slurring a bit. "We know why your family is so angered. We understand. But…lives are affected just because of this; innocent lives. Don't you think it's about time you forgive? We have forgiven you."

"I don't think I can forgive you." She looked away. "I –"

_Thump._

Elena looked back at her opponent. He was lying face down, unconscious on the battered carpet; his blood staining it with crimson.

"Dino?" she called out in alarm, making her drop her lances.

There was no answer.

"Dino!" she rushed to his side, turning him.

Blood was creeping on to his clothes; staining it fast.

Her hand trembled at the sight. She was sure she had seen this before, but could not remember when.

"Boss!" Romario just arrived, panting heavily. "What did _you_ do?"

Elena could not even bring herself to speak.

Romario dismissed her and carried his boss and hurriedly took him away.

He grabbed his phone and called for an ambulance.

With the two men disappearing from her sight, Elena could only ask herself this question:

"Did I kill him?"

~fin~

A/N: i want to thank everyone who left me reviews. i appreciate it greatly! ^^

well, see you on the next chapter!

Ciaociao~


	9. VII: Ciao

A/N: I give you chapter nine. Sorry for the wait! XD

XXX

_**"**__**Love fails, only when we fail to love."**_** - J. Franklin**

XXX

She looked outside the hospital windows.

It was snowing.

The cold made her injuries sting more. She wondered if _his_ cuts hurt more too.

"Signora…" Romario said, his voice wary. "Signora Elena."

Her greenish brown orbs drifted to her husband's right hand man.

"I can't guarantee your safety here. Please, leave immediately. I don't know what our men will do when they see you here…"

"Give me… a minute." She said with voice hoarse. She tried to clear her throat but she only coughed. Dino's right hand nodded and left the room.

Elena's gaze fell back to the sleeping Cavallone Boss.

He was safe.

He didn't die.

_Kill him._

She let out a suppressed breath.

_Kill. Kill him._

She closes her eyes and bites her lower lip as it trembled.

"I-I'm sorry Papa…"

Elena opens her lids and sees blood drops on her skirt. A metallic taste engulfs her mouth. Realizing she bit too far, she wiped off the blood coming out of her lip.

And then she sees the golden ring on her finger.

Her wedding ring.

The ring he put in her finger after he had sworn to love her eternally; to love her unconditionally. _Till death do us part, _she remembered him saying, with that big goofy grin plastered on his beautiful face.

But it was a big mistake. All of this is a big mistake.

So she pulls that golden ring out of her finger and she places it in his hand.

She stands up from her seat and mutters not a word to the resting blond.

And then she left.

XXX

"_I…I…"_

"_What is it?"_

"_The truth is I…Elena, I…"_

_Her greenish brown eyes pierce thru his being like lightning. He freezes._

"_Senior?..."_

"_I like you."_

"…_wha –" she blushes wildly and he's on the verge of fainting. "Wha-What a-are you saying? You're joking, right?"_

"_No… I-I really do. I r-really like you. A lot. I know you're still too young, but I'll wait. I'll wait for you…so –"_

"_No!"_

_He darts his eyes to meet hers._

"_I don't like you."_

_He hitches his breath completely._

"_Because you know what, Dino Cavallone? I was born to do only one thing…"_

_His hazel brown eyes widen as she grins widely and he realizes what's in front of him isn't human._

"_And that is to kill you."_

He opens his eyes. He breathes again.

He realizes it was just a dream but somehow those words stung so much he almost winced.

He tried to move but only his hand responded.

The he saw something fall when his hand jerked.

When that thing sparkled under the weak moonlight, Dino knew what that meant.

He lost.

XXX

"Elena."

She turns her head to see who called her. "Angelo." She called her right hand's name gently and the latter bowed to her in respect before entering the room.

"Are you alright?" he asks as he walks to her.

"I'm sorry."

The man with deep brown hair blinked as he heard the word.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't do it. I'm sorry."

"Elena…"

"I couldn't do it… I couldn't kill him… I'm sorry…" a sob escaped her lips and she shuddered as she tried to hold her tears back.

Angelo pulled her closer, holding her tight. "It's alright. It's okay… you don't have to bother yourself with those things anymore."

The girl in his arms whimpered and clung to his being as her shoulders shook with every sob. Maybe it's better this way.

Maybe it's better to just forget everything.

XXX

Days would turn in to weeks and he would get better and better until it was time to go home. His wounds have completely healed and he's ready to return to his daily life. He thanks his 'lil sworn brother for visiting him a couple of times even though the latter lived on the other side of the world. He thanks Reborn but the hitman kicks him on the face, and then said something about how stupid he looked.

He sighs as rests on his bed, taking in the air in his room.

Something's missing.

The smell of danger and of killing intent; the smell of strawberries and roses that he liked so much was gone.

She was gone.

He smiles bitterly and shakes his head.

Reborn was right after all.

XXX

"You're disturbing the peace. I'll bite you to death."

"Oh come on, Kyoya! I was hospitalized for two weeks and that's what I get from my student? Not even a _'I'm glad you're better sensei'_ or something like that?"

"Hmph."

Dino sweatdropped and sighed. "Stingy." He sat on the concrete floor and frowned.

Hibari ignored him and lay down again, continuing his interrupted sleep.

"She left me."

The prefect's eyes opened almost immediately.

"Elena's gone."

Hibari rose and looked at his former tutor blankly. And then he hit him.

"Wh-What the hell?" Dino shielded himself with his arm from that steel tonfa.

"You lost."

The word hurt Dino more than Kyoya's tonfa. "I…"

"And you gave up so easily. How pathetic." The chairman of the prefects stood up, glaring down at the blond Cavallone. "And I'm supposed to believe that _you're_ the baby's student."

"Sometimes it's better that way; to give up. There are times when that is the right thing to do."

"You told me you wanted her."

"I did. But she doesn't love me, Kyoya. What do you want me to do, force her to stay with me?"

"Did she tell you that?"

"What?"

"Did she tell you that she doesn't want you?" the prefect asked impatiently.

"She told me she hated me."

"That's a different thing."

"It's the same!" the Cavallone boss sighed and relaxed as his former student took his tonfa back.

"Its not." the raven haired guardian insisted. "She reciprocated your love by hating you. That doesn't mean she doesn't want you."

"What kind of reasoning is that?"

"Ask her." The raven haired guardian turned to leave, with Hibird flying along him.

Hibari Kyoya slammed the door behind him, leaving Dino alone and dumbfounded in the rooftop.

~fin~

A/N: Happy New Year fellas! XD till next time. ^^


	10. Fin

Okay. I won't be continuing this story anymore, because I lack inspiration. So yeah. *gets shot* I fail as a writer there. *sigh* sorry guys. Well, to the people who read and left me some awesome reviews (and to those who didn't leave any, as well) over the span of nine crap-tastic chapters, even though I sometimes suck at grammar and Elena is kinda mary sue-ish...

I THANK YOU EPIC PEOPLE. XD

Hope to see you again, sometime, in a parallel universe of some sort.

*waves* Ciao~

-Lulu-ichigo


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